Chemical Processing

Phoenix Contact and Flowserve join Endress+Hauser’s Open Integration Partner Program, which strives to mitigate risks when commissioning customer plant by ensuring that operators can easily integrate their devices and components into automation systems, according to the company. Phoenix Contact and Flowserve join eight companies already in the program: AUMA Riester, HIMA Paul Hildebrandt, Honeywell Process Solutions, Mitsubishi Electric, Pepperl+Fuchs, Rockwell Automation, R. STAHL and Schneider Electric.
Although today’s communication components (HART, PROFIBUS, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, EtherNet/IP or PROFINET) are rigorously tested, there are still countless ways in which they can be combined and there is a residual risk that minor…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Understand what achieving an effective predictive maintenance program entails

Processors have relied on gas chromatographs (GCs) since the 1950s to provide real-time compositional data to control systems. Today, tens of thousands of GCs serve in a diverse range of plants — making the GC the analytical workhorse for online…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Mettler Toledo offers SmartCal, a test substance offering a fast way to verify the performance of a moisture analyzer, according to the company. Using SmartCal, performance testing reportedly takes 10 minutes and it is done in the same easy way as a regular moisture measurement.
Additionally, as an overall functionality assessment, SmartCal simultaneously tests both the heating and weighing units, according to Mettler Toledo. When results lie within expected tolerances, it lends validity to all measurements made since the previous test. These results are viewed in a series of clear, readable measurement reports for straightforward monitoring. They can either be stored directly in the instrument or manually entered into a free, validated…

After a three-year software evaluation period, BP reportedly selects aeSolutions’ aeShield to assist asset personnel in monitoring control, alarm and safety instrumented systems (CASIS) performance for all upstream oil and gas assets. To date, it has been a challenge to automate the monitoring of these devices due to the lack of common systems in place across BP’s facilities, according to aeSolutions.
aeShield allows centralized reporting, standard enforcement consistent with internal procedures, reduced man-hours, monitored IPLs and efficient management of change (MOC) tracking, according to the company. During initial rollout, BP will reportedly focus on HAZOP/LOPA studies, safety requirements specification, SIL verification and IPL…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

A new nonmetallic catalyst promises to enable economical hydrogen-based substitution reactions that now require expensive or hazardous synthesis routes.

A new nonmetallic catalyst promises to enable economical hydrogen-based substitution reactions that now require expensive or hazardous synthesis routes, e.g., making hydrosilanes from chlorosilanes as well as hydrides from halides, believe researchers at Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany. The borane catalyst splits hydrogen molecules under mild conditions and should suit broad-scale use, they say.
The researchers created the catalyst by introducing boron atoms into a common organic molecule (Figure 1). The catalyst provides ambiphilic metal-like reactivity toward H2; tests so far indicate yields are comparable to conventional metallic catalysts.
“What we additionally need is just an electron source. In the laboratory we chose…

A carbon-based molecular sieve membrane combined with a reverse osmosis process could significantly reduce energy needed to separate alkyl aromatics hydrocarbon molecules, says a research team from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech),…

Conco Systems, Pty Ltd. of Heatherbrae, Australia, an affiliate of Conco Services Corporation in Verona, PA, USA, acquires Gogolok IndustrieService GmbH (GIS) of Magdeburg, Germany. GIS specializes in industrial cleaning of plate heat exchangers, air cooled condensers and general maintenance cleaning services. The incorporation of GIS infrastructure, human resources and service capabilities into the Conco family will support Conco’s growth in the European market and an expansion of the global service portfolio, according to the company.
Conco Systems Pty Ltd. is the Australian contingent of a worldwide group of Conco companies providing condenser and heat exchanger products and services to the power generation and industrial sectors.

The U.S. Department of Energy announces nearly $25 million to enable innovative electrical motors used in manufacturing.

The U.S. Department of Energy announces nearly $25 million for 13 projects aimed at advancing energy-efficient electric motor technologies through applied research and development. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Next Generation Electric Machines projects will address the limitations of traditional materials and designs used in electric motor components by cost-effectively enhancing their efficiency, improving their performance and reducing weight. This effort will support approaches to improve the technology in industrial electric motors, which use approximately 70% of the electricity consumed by U.S. manufacturers and nearly a quarter of all electricity consumed nationally, according to EERE.
Improvements…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Advisory firm International eChem says that warning signs from the chemical industry point to a global recession in 2017, according to an article from Investment Week. The global chemical capacity utilization percentage (CU%), a measure which the firm says correlates closely to global GDP, reportedly dropped to its lowest level since 2009 this year, which the firm warns is an indicator of global economic slowdown.
The CU% has reportedly been in a steady decline for the last year, according to the firm’s chairman Paul Hodges. In the article, Hodges also warns of increased currency volatility due to protectionism-driven trade wars.
Read more about the firm's predictions here.

Transferring expertise and knowledge of experienced staff to engineers beginning their careers is hardly a new issue for chemicals makers. However, the ongoing wave of retiring baby boomers (see: “Retirement Casts a Long Shadow”) is prompting…

Siemens Water Solutions will use Meidensha Corporation’s ceramic flat-sheet membrane in its new PACT Membrane Bioreactor for wastewater treatment.

Siemens Water Solutions will reportedly use Meidensha Corporation’s ceramic flat-sheet membrane in its new PACT Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment in the oil refinery and petrochemical industries, and other wastewater treatment environments. Siemens PACT technology has reportedly been installed at more than 100 locations.
Siemens’ PACT MBR is a powdered activated carbon-based wastewater treatment system that provides biological/physio-chemical/and ultrafiltration technology in a single, compact system, according to Meidensha. After extensive testing, Siemens approved Meidensha’s ceramic flat-sheet membrane for use in its PACT MBR system because of the membrane’s durability, abrasion resistance and long service life…

Debate continues over the merits of putting a price on carbon emissions — with many businesses opposing such a move. However, an increasing number of companies are adopting carbon pricing, according to a report released in September by CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), London, a not-for-profit organization backed by institutional investors and others. The publication notes that carbon pricing already has spurred some firms to reallocate investments.
Called “Embedding a Carbon Price into Business Strategy,” the report summarizes the disclosures of companies around the world that responded to CDP’s 2016 climate-change and supply-chain information requests. A total of 1,249 firms revealed that they already price carbon…

With the aim to reduce toxic exposure, agency fast tracks the evaluation of five chemicals

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is continuing its brisk pace to be on target with implementing the new requirements of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century…

Manufacturers must evaluate where to focus efforts to protect sensitive data.

Cybercriminals love chemical companies. In fact, IBM X-Force Research’s 2016 Cyber Security Intelligence Index cites chemical companies as one of the top targets for attackers, according to an article from Manufacturing Business Technology. The attacks are reportedly often financially-motivated and state-sponsored attempts to steal intellectual property and trade secrets.
So what can manufacturers do? The article’s author lays out a list of prevention methods beginning with a vulnerability management plan and ongoing vulnerability scans. According to the article, manufacturers should also promote company-wide security awareness, prepare an incident response plan, harden the security configurations of systems and servers and evaluate…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

Locate suppliers in the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.

The year in review recalls some of the most important events of 2016, and the 2017 Supplier Sourcing Guide Directory is a look forward – a tool we hope helps you throughout the new year.
The 2017 Supplier Source Guide is an easy-to-use guide to help locate suppliers to the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries.
The guide is broken out into five primary categories:1. Asset Management2. Automation3. Environmental Protection4. Processing Equipment5. Safety/Security.
Each of these main categories includes several product sub-categories listed within them.
This easy-to-use directory lists suppliers in 43 categories of equipment, products, services and software. We also have a special section focusing on 72 engineering, construction…

If you use desiccant air dryers in your plant, you probably know they can consume a lot of energy dollars. Much of this money often is wasted. However, you likely can take a number of steps to reduce your desiccant dryer costs and improve the dryer operation, leading to better air quality. Here, we’ll look at five factors worth attention: specifications check, dryer control, desiccant protection, adjustments and maintenance.
First let’s consider operating costs, though. Compressed air is one of the most expensive utilities to use in doing anything in your plant. This is because of the poor “wire to work” conversion efficiency of the compression process. Only ≈10–15% of the energy put into a compressor actually converts to…

The U.S. Department of Energy announces nearly $25 million to enable innovative electrical motors used in manufacturing.

The U.S. Department of Energy announces nearly $25 million for 13 projects aimed at advancing energy-efficient electric motor technologies through applied research and development. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Next Generation Electric Machines projects will address the limitations of traditional materials and designs used in electric motor components by cost-effectively enhancing their efficiency, improving their performance and reducing weight. This effort will support approaches to improve the technology in industrial electric motors, which use approximately 70% of the electricity consumed by U.S. manufacturers and nearly a quarter of all electricity consumed nationally, according to EERE.
Improvements…

The new website is designed to be more visually appealing and user friendly.

Paratherm – Heat Transfer Fluids introduces a newly redesigned website. The new website is designed to be more visually appealing and user friendly, according to the company. The new Paratherm website reportedly performs many of the same duties as Paratherm employees in assisting hot oil system users and others interested in indirect heating technology.
The website is aimed at fluid customers, OEM design engineers, process managers, fluid specifiers and maintenance professionals. It provides technical details of Paratherm heat transfer fluid products, including product data, safety data and physical and thermal properties. The website also offers technical advice regarding hot-oil system safety, maintenance and reliability and detailed…

Water availability is a growing concern, prompting important initiatives by chemical companies, as our recent cover story “Keep Calm and Save Water,” underscores. Of course, the issue has much broader implications — and this has led to the…

Focusing on an implementation’s true consequences can lead to more cost-effective results

Undertaking an energy assessment can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be if the energy expert can understand and follow an “impact analysis.” So, this column will cover this methodology and cite a few examples of how to undertake an impact analysis while doing energy assessments.
Published ASME standards for energy assessments provide a good starting point and offer guidelines for conducting these assessments. Nevertheless, our resources — budgets, human resources, and time — are always limited. Hence, there’s a strong need to undertake energy assessments from an impact-level perspective and increase the cost-effectiveness of these efforts. We are still talking about a systems approach; I’m not suggesting cutting…

September Process Puzzler: Uncovering cause of solid build-up

Assuming this costly configuration change is a last resort, the screening problem could be helped greatly by using higher G force equipment (approaching 5 Gs). Many screen de-blinding options are available from vendors.

Also the “rocking motion,” as described in the puzzle, isn’t ideal for this application. If the problem is moisture, you need a “neck snapping” action to dislodge damp materials from the mesh. Options include ball trays, self-cleaning kits, high-frequency screen energizers, and high-G-force separators. Another alternative may be a different mesh design. It is also possible that a material incompatibility is contributing to the problem by affecting surface roughness, for example.

I recommend a site visit by the vendor engineer, or its competitors. You should request a laboratory test of the coal, from various stages of the process and an inspection report. Hopefully, the vendor can reduce your problem by making a few adjustments in the vibrating screen and recommending minor improvements in the system without adding the drying step.

Peter Knox, global applications specialistSweco Florence, Ky.

Swap out the wire mesh with V-wire

I think a change in the wire screen size or type may improve flow. Wire screens aren’t flat — coal may not move smoothly across the surface. The simplest remedy may be to use v-wire screens instead of standard wire mesh. V-wire is very smooth with slot openings instead of knitted wire. This allows material to move, particularly if the lines of the V-wire are oriented in the direction of the desired flow. They’re also very strong, so that maintenance may be reduced over a standard screen, though the initial cost is likely to be higher.

The question is: can we salvage the vibrating screen? The frame that holds the screen may be reusable to hold the V-wire. That way, no changes to the mechanical tilter and shaker would be required. V-wire obviously weighs more than a standard screen, so a mechanical engineer would need to check to see that the machine can handle the additional weight and strain on the other parts, assemblies, bearings, etc. If the rocker arms and such are too light, a new unit altogether may be required.

Buying a new vibrating screen, one that can use the V-wire, is a last resort. There are a few quick-fixes that may improve matters. Does the existing vibrating screen have an option for rotary motion in addition to standard vertical vibration? I've seen standard up and down vibration fail to solve solids flow when rotary vibration will work. Another option could be some simple raking system, either mechanical (like a periodic windshield wiper) or a small pulse of compressed air on a timer. Maybe a combination of these fixes could be enough.

Tom Williams, sr. technical managerHoneywell, Petersburg, Va.

Talk to the vendor

What’s the angle on your vibrating screen, including the discharge? Perhaps the angle isn’t sufficient for flow. You may want to go back to the drawing board and run a powder test to see what the optimal angle should be. Perhaps the coal for which the process was designed isn’t the same as the material going through the system now. You may need to consider some equipment changes. There are several technologies available based on your powder’s properties, perhaps a different type will work. The screen also could be blinding over with material. There also are several types of technologies available to solve this issue. I would suggest talking with the vibration screen manufacture about the issues.

Venting is critical

A possible cause for this build-up of material may be that you aren’t providing adequate ventilation for the “over-pressure of air” which is developed in the vibrating screen and lower hopper during normal feeding. This over-pressure of air may not allow the coal lumps to flow/move over the screen. Eventually they bind and bridge and cause the problems you are experiencing. You also should consider that the location of your dust pick-up also may be a factor in supplying stable venting to your vibrating screen and lower hopper. First, I would clean out the existing system to make ready for testing. Then, I would recommend that you re-locate the dust pick-up to the top of the vibrating screen. This should minimize the risk for coal lumps being sucked into the ducting and allow for dust collection. Next, I would recommend that you increase the suction capacity at the dust pick-up, either by increasing the velocity or cross-sectional area. This may affect your system, so please pay attention to overall system balancing. I would recommend the use of an air bleed at the dust pick-up inlet so you can adjust the flow rates so as not to over-extract material or create unnecessary vacuum in the vibratory screen. Test this system at different air bleed settings and see what happens.

Mark Smith, sales engineer,JOA North America LLC, Charlotte, N.C.

Change the type of sifter

The screen appears to be the heart of the problem. It isn’t effective in separating dust from coal lumps. I suggest replacing it. What’s needed is something that can provide a gradual sifting instead of the wire mesh, which will easily blind. Replace the screen with a sieve tray plate with a series of holes for the dust to fall through but too small for the lumps. This will give the solids a smooth surface that may be difficult to blind. There should be some commercially available equipment that can do this type of sifting. The key point is that it must be a plate — not a screen. Sifting with a perforated plate will improve the flow of lumps to the screw conveyer.

There also is a potential for slug flow from the lock hopper valves; a surge of solids could block the feed to the vibrating equipment. I’m not sure how to do this but I know the load needs to be spread out at the feed side. Perhaps, the motion at the feed could be more rotational at the feed point to shake the pile of the lumps, flatten it, and force it to spread out. The solids could then be fed to a second vibrating screen to do the sift work.

Charles Fivelson, engineerCarbondale, Ill.

November's Puzzler

We operate an acid regeneration plant (ARP) for a steel mill. In the process, FeCl2 solution is oxidized to Fe2O3 and HCl in a spray roaster; the HCl is recycled to the mill and the oxide is agglomerated and pelletized for feeding back to the mill (Figure 4). Currently, operators do laboratory tests to monitor the quality of HCl (target: 18.5%). The absorber hits an azeotrope at 20.4% at which time the scrubbers become absorbers and we will be fined for an acid emission. Someone suggests monitoring the concentration of the acid in the absorber. e.g., by inferring concentration by measuring conductivity or density, or measuring directly by using an automatic titrator. Automating the absorber also is appealing because this loop requires constant attention, especially during start-up and shutdown. What should we do? Keep in mind that ARPs are water-restricted.

Figure 4. The current PFD of HCl absorption process.

Send us your comments, suggestions or solutions for this question by October 13, 2006. We’ll include as many of them as possible in the October 2006 issue and all on CP.com. Send visuals — a sketch is fine. E-mail us at ProcessPuzzler@putman.net or mail to ProcessPuzzler, Chemical Processing, 555 W. Pierce Rd., Suite 301, Itasca, IL 60143. Fax: (630) 467-1120. Please include your name, title, location and company affiliation in the response.

And, of course, if you have a process problem you’d like to pose to our readers, send it along and we’ll be pleased to consider it for publication.